Brisbane City Council is gearing up for Brisbane Metro to be launched by 21 October on the busy 169 bus service between Eight Mile Plains and UQ St Lucia.
Lord Mayor, Adrian Schrinner said the early introduction of Brisbane Metro will boost capacity on one of Brisbane’s busiest bus routes by 50%.
“We live in one of Australia’s fastest growing cities and improving public transport will help make it easier for people to leave their car at home and keep Brisbane moving,” the Lord Mayor said.
“Brisbane Metro won’t just create capacity for more passengers, our fully-electric fleet of modern vehicles will encourage even more people to jump on board and help cut congestion.
“Brisbane buses carry two-thirds of all public transport passengers so getting more people on our buses is critical to keeping our city moving.”
Route 169 can currently carry up to 14,000 people per weekday, with capacity to be boosted by an additional 7,300 per weekday following the introduction of Brisbane Metro.
The Council says the fully-electric Brisbane Metro has world-class accessibility and sustainability features and will be the first vehicle of its kind in Australia.
The 24.4-metre-long metro vehicle can carry up to 170 passengers, which is 97 more than a standard bus, has on-board wi-fi and USB charging points and three large double doors for efficient all-door boarding.
“Brisbane Metro will be a game changer for public transport in our city and I can’t wait to welcome the first passengers on board from October,” said Civic Cabinet Chair for Transport, Ryan Murphy.
The introduction of the Brisbane Metro 169 service follows a new long-term deal between Council and the State Government to deliver more bus services, to more places, more often.
The bus funding agreement includes:
- An additional $75 million investment in Brisbane’s bus network during 2024-25;
- A commitment to a 75 per cent (State) to 25 per cent (Council) funding split;
- Demand-responsive bus services, funded by the State and operated by Council during the 50 Cent Fares trial from 5 August;
- Rapid deployment of Brisbane Metro vehicles on the busy 169 bus route between Eight Mile Plains and UQ St Lucia from October 2024;
- Collaboration to deliver bus priority projects on key routes, including the Northern Transitway and Mains Road corridors;
- A commitment to creating a stronger advisory board to allow a more balanced perspective for investment into the transport services of the Brisbane LGA;
- A northside bus network review following the introduction of Brisbane Metro and Brisbane’s New Bus Network (BNBN);
- A commitment to a joint, annual network review process which adds capacity into the network where it’s needed;
- Reform of Brisbane’s Bus Network to reduce waste & duplication and improve bus to rail connections.
Councillor Murphy said UQ was the biggest trip generator outside of the CBD.
“Brisbane Metro will help transform the 169 bus service by boosting capacity along one of the city’s busiest bus journeys,” he said.
University of Queensland Chief Operating Officer, Andrew Flannery said the improvements to the UQ Lakes station and the pedestrian and cycleways were already making travel easier and more convenient for the UQ community and people visiting the area.
“This is a vital transport connection for our staff and students, and we’re delighted that services to UQ will be some of the first for the new metro, offering more frequent services with greater capacity for our community,” he said.
“We hope it will encourage our community to use public and active transport to travel to UQ sites, in line with our own transport and sustainability strategies.”
